Govt to brush up policy on ultras’ rehab

Hinting at the possibility of evolving a policy for surrendered militants, a senior official said the recent dispute between the Delhi and J&K police forces over the status of a former militant showed the need for better coordination between the agencies.

Official sources said the Centre would start consultations with the stakeholders to work on a “larger policy framework”, which should be in place in the a few months. “This is not only about J&K, but also about militants in the northeast and the Maoists,” the official, who did not want to be named, said.

Though the surrender and rehabilitation policies are already in place, the new initiative is likely to deal with the rough edges in coordination, the official said, adding that another requirement was to improve the rehabilitation schemes.

The recent dispute between the Delhi and J&K police forces over the arrest of Liyaqat Ali Shah on the Nepal border revealed while Kashmir police records showed him as a militant on his way from Pakistan to surrender, the Delhi police arrested him on charges of planning a terror attack in the Capital.

The home ministry is trying to resolve the dispute through an inquiry by a third agency, the National Investigative Agency. “This dispute should be fairly simple to resolve. But we need to review how this entire thing can be done better,” the official said.